Breakdown Press is doubling down on its commitment to underground manga this spring with the release of two landmark titles on April 28, 2025: Red Night by Kazuichi Hanawa and a long-awaited reprint of Ding Dong Circus and Other Stories by Sasaki Maki.
First published in Japan in 1985, Red Night marked Hanawa’s breakout work—a brutal and surreal dive into obsession, madness, and divine perversity. This expanded English-language edition, translated by manga historian Ryan Holmberg, brings Hanawa’s disturbing yet masterfully drawn world to a broader audience. Known for his pioneering work in erotic grotesquerie and folk horror, Hanawa has long been a staple of Japan’s alternative manga scene, debuting in the influential magazine Garo in the early 1970s. Red Night is his first major English release since 2006’s Doing Time, a semi-autobiographical account of his imprisonment.
Also shipping April 28 is Ding Dong Circus and Other Stories, a reissue of the sold-out cult classic by Sasaki Maki, another Garo alum. Edited and translated by Holmberg, the new edition gathers fifteen of Maki’s most visually striking works created between 1967 and 1974. Known for his experimental collage storytelling, Maki’s comics riff on global pop culture—from The Beatles and Andy Warhol to the Vietnam War and Japanese consumerism. With its blend of avant-garde critique and Pop Art brilliance, Ding Dong Circus reaffirms Maki’s place among the most inventive voices in manga history.
Breakdown Press also reminds readers to check out its recent releases, including DOGBO by Jon Chandler, Star of Swan, and Half Dung / Half Gold by Margot Ferrick—all available through Breakdown’s website and select comic retailers.
Both Red Night and Ding Dong Circus are offset-printed softcovers, shipping directly from Breakdown Press and through all “good book and comic shops.” With demand expected to be high, fans of alternative manga are encouraged to order early.
For more information or to place an order, visit Breakdown Press.
Source: Breakdown Press
